Fresh concerns have been raised in the Senate over the continued delay in the full take-off of the University of Maritime Studies, Oron, Akwa Ibom State despite its legal backing and presidential assent.
Senator Ekong Sampson, representing Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District, voiced his frustration during deliberations at the Senate, lamenting what he described as “unwarranted dilly-dallying” in operationalizing the institution years after its upgrade from the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron.
The academy, originally founded in 1977, was elevated to a full-fledged university following the passage of an Act of Parliament, which received presidential assent from former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2021.
However, despite the change in legal status, the institution is yet to commence operations as a university.
Raising the issue as a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Sampson described the upgrade as a landmark achievement for Oro Nation, Akwa Ibom South, and the entire state.
He stressed that the university holds strategic importance for Nigeria’s marine and blue economy aspirations, particularly given the country’s vast coastal resources and maritime potential.
According to the lawmaker, pressure has continued to mount from his constituents who are eager to see the institution function in accordance with its new status.
“The people are anxious to see the full implementation of the law. The transformation of the academy into a university must go beyond paper declaration,” he reportedly insisted, urging the Senate Committee on Marine and Blue Economy to expedite all necessary administrative and legislative processes to ensure immediate take-off.
Sampson’s advocacy is not new. Last year, he led a delegation of Oro stakeholders to meet with the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, pressing for concrete steps toward activating the university.
Beyond Oron, the senator has maintained a broader legislative push to expand tertiary education access in Akwa Ibom South.
He sponsored the Bill for the establishment of the Federal University of Technology, Ikot Abasi, which has progressed to Third Reading, as well as another Bill seeking to establish a Federal University of Medical Sciences in Eket, moves aimed at creating a tripod of federal tertiary institutions across the three federal constituencies in the Senatorial District.
Backing Sampson’s position, Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, warned that the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy could be inviting legal complications by continuing to present the institution as an academy in budget proposals, despite its upgraded university status.
Moro emphasized that aligning the institution’s legal framework with its budgetary classification was critical to avoiding infractions and ensuring transparency in public expenditure.
Responding to the concerns, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Marine and Blue Economy, Senator Eshilokun, assured lawmakers that the committee would carefully examine the matter and take appropriate administrative and legislative action in line with the law.
For stakeholders in Oro Nation and Akwa Ibom State, the assurance may offer a glimmer of hope, but expectations remain high that the long-awaited maritime university will soon move from statutory recognition to full academic reality.
